President of the United States Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation today, during which a number of global and regional issues were discussed, including issues related to arms control and security, the official website of the White House reports.
President Biden emphasized the United States’ unwavering commitment in Ukraine’s issues. The President voiced concerns over the sudden Russian military build-up in Crimea and on Ukraine’s borders, and called on Russia to de-escalate tensions.
President Biden reaffirmed his goal of building a stable and predictable relationship with Russia consistent with U.S. interests, and proposed a summit meeting in a third country in the coming months to discuss the full range of issues facing the United States and Russia.
According to a statement on the Kremlin’s website, Vladimir Putin stressed the need for a Minsk-based approach to resolving the crisis in Ukraine.
The Kremlin said U.S. President Joe Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call on Tuesday that he wanted to normalise bilateral ties and to cooperate on arms control, Iran’s nuclear programme, Afghanistan and climate change.
It also confirmed that Biden had proposed a high level meeting with Putin, but gave no indication of how the Russian leader had responded to that suggestion.
The presidents agreed to instruct the relevant departments to address the issues raised during the telephone conversation.
